Jane DallawayOften found in front of a computer, loom or sewing machine. Software developer by trade. Weaver and photographer by hobby. Dog owner by design. This blog has elements of them all. Maintainer of 30yearsagotoday.com and brightonbloggers.com.
jane.dallaway.com/
Sat, 11 Jul 2015 11:58:08 +0100Sat, 11 Jul 2015 11:58:08 +0100Jekyll v2.5.3Chocolate fridge cake<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/19573015466"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/379/19573015466_944ccf5130_z.jpg" alt="Chocolate fridge cake" /></a></p>
<p>My Mum’s recipe book has been sitting on a shelf in the spare room since I emptied the family home. I picked it up and looked at it now and again but it felt a bit like I was holding on to it for Mum. Rather than it being mine. As Mum is no longer alive it is now definitely mine. </p>
<p>Last week I was away with work for a couple of days. And my traveling buddy, who is also an excellent baker, mentioned that her oven had broken but she had contributions to make for a fête. I mentioned that Mum often made chocolate fridge cake for such events and we had a conversation about what went into Mum’s recipe. But I was a bit hazy on the details.</p>
<p>When I got home from the trip I had a look through Mum’s recipe book and there it was. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/19412586669"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/492/19412586669_335fbbaeeb_z.jpg" alt="Mum's recipe" /></a> </p>
<p>So last weekend I decided to give it a go. And I’m pleased to report that it worked well. I substituted Rich Tea biscuits for <a href="http://www.nicecupofteaandasitdown.com/biscuits/views.php3?filter=68">Morning coffee biscuits</a> as my local supermarket didn’t have Morning Coffee. What I hadn’t appreciated was that I was going to find making chocolate fridge cake an emotional experience. But I did. Using Mum’s recipe book, looking at her writing, thinking about the countless times I’d seen her make it and eaten the results. All good though.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/19411205020"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/531/19411205020_5826ea04e9_z.jpg" alt="Before being cut into pieces" /></a></p>
<p>My baker friend has since sourced some Morning Coffee biscuits and after a taste comparison test I can say that the difference is minor. The Rich Tea are a little snappier and a bit more robust (when being dunked into tea). But that’s about it. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/19603515861"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3786/19603515861_92fb04a777_z.jpg" alt="A chocolate fridge cake stack" /></a></p>
<p>I’ve since been looking at <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/jul/24/how-make-perfect-fridge-cake">other recipes</a> to gain inspiration on tweaks and changes I can make. I suspect there will be more experimentation.</p>
Sat, 11 Jul 2015 11:19:00 +0100jane.dallaway.com/chocolate-fridge-cake/
jane.dallaway.com/chocolate-fridge-cake/Postcards to Mum<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/16414006299"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7339/16414006299_c2f2a635ee_z.jpg" alt="Postcards to Mum: Full collection" /></a></p>
<p>When I went to see the people at Mum’s home to tell them Mum had died we had a bit of a chat. And one of the things that they spoke about was the postcards I’d been sending to Mum every week. How they liked them. How they talked about them - both with Mum but also amongst themselves. How they felt as if they’d seen me grow up through them.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/16412814640"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7290/16412814640_3e226952d7_z.jpg" alt="Postcards to Mum: Close up" /></a></p>
<p>When I emptied Mum’s room I collected the postcards together and brought them back with me. There are 75 of them. Each with a sentence of two of Mum’s back story and a sentence of two of what I’d been up to.</p>
<p>I’m glad that I did them. And I’m glad that they were appreciated.</p>
<p>And just for completeness, here’s the links to the posts I made each time I ordered a new batch of postcards:<br />
* <a href="http://jane.dallaway.com/timeline-and-storyline-postcards/">Set 1</a> - October 2011<br />
* <a href="http://jane.dallaway.com/timeline-and-storyline-postcards-set-2/">Set 2</a> - March 2012 <br />
* <a href="http://jane.dallaway.com/storyline-postcards-3/">Set 3</a> - January 2013<br />
* <a href="http://jane.dallaway.com/storyline-postcards-4/">Set 4</a> - September 2013 <br />
* <a href="http://jane.dallaway.com/storyline-5/">Set 5</a> - April 2014 <br />
* <a href="http://jane.dallaway.com/postcards6/">Set 6</a> - November 2014 </p>
<p>I still have a few of that last set unused.</p>
Sat, 21 Feb 2015 10:40:00 +0000jane.dallaway.com/postcards/
jane.dallaway.com/postcards/The end of 30YearsAgoToday<p>Yesterday, at 11am, my Mum died.</p>
<p>Dementia had taken away her ability to communicate with me several years ago. The <a href="https://twitter.com/30YearsAgoToday">30YearsAgoToday</a> project was a way to get her voice back into my life. By tweeting extracts from her journals I got her language, and her tone of voice, via text messages every evening at around 9pm. These became really important to me.</p>
<p>As this project was a personal one. And it was about having her voice in my life. I have decided to delete all the scheduled tweets and have closed the project down. </p>
<p>I’m so glad that she kept those journals. They’ve been a great way to remember who she was before dementia started to take bits of her away from me.</p>
<p>I couldn’t find a photo from 1985 of Mum and I amongst my scanned archive. Instead, I share this. It’s my favourite photo of Mum and me. It’s from August 1972.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/16261532040"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7331/16261532040_166a5d2073_z.jpg" alt="Mum and me" /></a></p>
Thu, 05 Feb 2015 11:23:00 +0000jane.dallaway.com/the-end-of-30yearsagotoday
jane.dallaway.com/the-end-of-30yearsagotodayMessage in a bottle<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/16111131205"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8568/16111131205_8d82cf6799_z.jpg" alt="Relaunching the message in a bottle" /></a></p>
<p>On Boxing day we took Skitters for a walk along Botany Bay beach near Margate. I noticed a plastic bottle on the beach and decided to investigate. In it was a message. So we opened the bottle and unfurled the message. It was dated Christmas day and looked to have launched from the neighbouring beach. So it hadn’t exactly gone far. I noted down the email address that was on the message. And then we resealed and relaunched the bottle. We stood on the beach and watched it for a while. It seemed to be staying out but wasn’t exactly heading away from the shore. We weren’t optimistic.</p>
<p>Once we got back to the house, we emailed the launcher to tell her what we’d done. And we sent her this photo. We got a reply thanking us for returning it to the sea and saying she’d get in touch if she heard more about it.</p>
<p>Today we got an email from her to tell us that “our” bottle had landed. Somebody found it yesterday on the beach of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Martin-en-Campagne">Saint Martin en Campagne</a>, near Dieppe, in France. </p>
<p>This makes me happy.</p>
Fri, 23 Jan 2015 20:03:00 +0000jane.dallaway.com/message-in-a-bottle
jane.dallaway.com/message-in-a-bottleWP64: A blazer matching scarf for me<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/16113126037"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7532/16113126037_a07ac19cfe_c.jpg" alt="WP64: Finished" /></a></p>
<p>In October I bought myself a blazer. I’d been thinking about it for a while. All my current jackets had been around a while, and I wanted something smarter. When it arrived I realised it had a great lining. And I could make a scarf that brought together the outer colours with the inner colours.</p>
<p>I popped in to my <a href="http://www.candh.co.uk/">local yarn shop</a> and had a look at the different yarns and colours against the lining. These were my winners. Two varieties from Sublime - <a href="http://sublimeyarns.com/yarns/yarn-sample-2/">Extra fine merino wool dk</a> for the black and pink, and <a href="http://sublimeyarns.com/yarns/grey-black-green-yarn/">Baby cashmere merino silk dk</a> for the blue which has a slight shine to it.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/16111653890"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8650/16111653890_b9b6d8d023_c.jpg" alt="WP64: Colour planning stage" /></a></p>
<p>I designed this to use a simple pick up pattern of 1/3 warp floats. But this time I used two pick up sticks and alternated the pick up to make a pattern within a pattern. This has given a softer feeling to the thicker stripes and has added a bit more interest. The thin stripes are still solid. I also offset the repeats so the blue and pink stripes are slightly different. I’d worried that the two pick up stick approach was going to be tiring, but actually it was fine. It worked well and added some variety which pleases me. I finished it with some fringe twisting which does give it a good finished look.</p>
<p>Wet finishing was a bit of a pain. I hand washed it in the sink using my reliable baby bath thermometer to determine the heat of the water. And then I popped it in my washing machine for a rinse and spin. Only when I took my scarf out did I discover that the previous wash had obviously had a tissue in it. So there was a lot of picking off bits of white fluff. As you can see from the photos I didn’t manage to get them all off.</p>
<p>I don’t have another project on the go at the moment, though I do have a few tentative plans. I seem to have lost my crafting mojo a bit. Not sure why. I haven’t had a chance to do much crafting for a while so maybe that’s why.</p>
<p>Anyway, here is the finished scarf with the blazer. I’m rather pleased with how it looks. And when I compare it to <a href="http://jane.dallaway.com/weaving-project-28-a-new-loom/">the first scarf I wove 18 months ago</a> it really shows how far I’ve progressed. This one hasn’t left the house yet due to the recent weather. Maybe today will be the day.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/16273048846"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7527/16273048846_8fe286652f_c.jpg" alt="WP64: With the blazer" /></a></p>
Sat, 17 Jan 2015 09:17:00 +0000jane.dallaway.com/wp64
jane.dallaway.com/wp64On letter writing<p>I just found this in the drafts folder from my old blogging engine. (We’ve just switched over to a new engine - probably more on that in a later post when the dust has settled). Not sure why I didn’t post this before now. But here it is. Better late than never. </p>
<hr />
<p>I’ve thought a lot about letter writing over the past few years. I even bought a <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/For-Love-Letters-Slow-Communication/dp/1780721099">book</a> on the subject. Like many others I love getting hand written post, be it a postcard, a note-card or even, more rarely, a letter. Getting something through the post that is hand written feels like a luxury. And I treasure these. But, I treasure emails from friends as well. </p>
<p>Writing a letter by hand takes time, and for me, feels like it needs a bigger investment of time than an email does. I use the words “feel like” deliberately there. I can, and do, spend quite a lot of time crafting an email until I’m happy with it. Until I feel that it says what I want it to, in the right kind of tone. And, ideally, which isn’t so long that the recipient doesn’t have time to read it. I’ve noticed that I tend to write emails like this when I’m alone and when I can give it my full attention. I treat it as I would a letter. This feels good. In the book I bought is the following sentence, which I apply to emails as well:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In style, the best letters should resemble not shouting in a theatre but whispering in a corner with a friend.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The joy of email for me, though, is also an immediacy thing. I do a lot of “saw this, thought of you” style emails. Pointing out something to someone that they may have missed, or that made me think of them. These are quicker, more throwaway, more like a telegram. Despite my use of twitter, I still send these via email.
Occasionally via a twitter direct message, but almost always in a targeted manner. Again, from the book :</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The very idea of writing a letter to more than one person at once is ludicrous. Letters should be precision-targeted.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>When talking about something someone has written in an email I tend to say they “said” something, not they “wrote” something. To me this feels like a conversation. And I like that.</p>
Thu, 01 Jan 2015 16:39:00 +0000jane.dallaway.com/on-letter-writing
jane.dallaway.com/on-letter-writingChristmas gift: WP62/WP63 - a scarf for a friend<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/15979492059"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8653/15979492059_2b71951d6e.jpg" alt="WP63 finished" /></a></p>
<p>When I was thinking of Christmas gifts for people I thought it was about time I made someone a scarf. This would be my first gift of this scale and so I gave it some careful consideration. And in the end it took me two attempts to get a scarf I was happy enough with to be a gift. It was a bit nervewracking to be honest. I’m kind of glad I posted the present off and I didn’t have to watch her face in case she wasn’t impressed.</p>
<p>Both scarves were based around the simple pick up pattern - 1/3 warp floats. (Yes, another one from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weavers-Idea-Book-Creative-Heddle-ebook/dp/B00DH40Q0K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1411809319&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+weaver%27s+idea+book">The Weavers Idea book</a>.) But the yarns were different. And how I used the colours was different as well.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/15543194374"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8579/15543194374_15e8766baa.jpg" alt="WP62 in progress" /></a></p>
<p>My first attempt (WP62) used the <a href="http://www.stylecraft-yarns.co.uk/knitting/0_caea525_CAFA001">Stylecraft Life DK</a> that I bought at <a href="http://jane.dallaway.com/ally-pally-2014">Ally Pally</a>. But it just wasn’t soft enough. And I knew this from the moment I started weaving it. I did try a few tricks to soften it up during the finish process. I hand washed it. Soaked it in conditioner. Stuffed it in the tumble drier on a low heat. But to no avail. I really like the colours of it, but it just isn’t soft enough to be a scarf. So I might cut it into pieces to make a bag or phone case out of it. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/16163646101"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7508/16163646101_62bd29588d.jpg" alt="WP63 in progress " /></a></p>
<p>The second attempt (WP63) used <a href="http://sublimeyarns.com/yarns/yarn-sample-2/">Sublime Extra Fine Merino DK</a>. It has come out much softer. It didn’t need quite such brutal finishing and has become a Christmas present. I think the colours are more like the photo above rather than at the top of the post. A gentle grey. Quite lovely, and the blue stands out really well. I hope she likes it.</p>
Thu, 25 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000jane.dallaway.com/wp63
jane.dallaway.com/wp63Christmas gift: A crocheted piggy<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/15978241740"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8603/15978241740_b1df36fc67.jpg" alt="Crocheted pig" /></a></p>
<p>Over summer I decided to give making amigurumi animals a go. I started with a mouse (using <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/amigurumi-mouse-cat-toy-80060ad">this pattern</a>). Then moved on to a bird (from <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/amigurumi-critters---fox-squirrel-penguin-chick-hamster">this multipurpose pattern</a>). And then <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/piggie---amigurumi-pig-doll">this pig</a>. </p>
<p>The pig is my favourite. I love the snout. My attempt has become a Christmas gift for the friend who has encouraged my crafting endeavours over the past few years. I hope little piggy settles in well and causes no trouble.</p>
<p>I suspect that I’ll make some more creatures at some point.</p>
Thu, 25 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000jane.dallaway.com/crocheted-pig
jane.dallaway.com/crocheted-pigChristmas gifts: Another couple of blackwork lavender bags<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/15979775617"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8632/15979775617_c9e7157708.jpg" alt="Two blackwork lavender bags" /></a></p>
<p>Over the year I’ve done another couple of pieces of blackwork. Blackwork has become a bit of a traveling craft. The kind of thing that is easy to pop into a bag. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/16139754566"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7492/16139754566_93a6390185.jpg" alt="Blackwork lavender bag" /></a></p>
<p>I started one of these pieces at the end of last year, and it took me until November to finish it. It was a nice, simple, repetitive piece to work on. I didn’t have a real plan on how I was going to use it. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/15979492849"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7581/15979492849_216a5f4196.jpg" alt="Another blackwork lavender bag" /></a></p>
<p>The second piece I planned out as a lavender bag for a specific recipient.</p>
<p>In the end I made them both into lavender bags. Using the usual envelope back method (no photo of the back I’m afraid). Both of them are Christmas gifts for different friends. I hope they can find somewhere to tuck them away so they’re useful.</p>
Thu, 25 Dec 2014 00:00:00 +0000jane.dallaway.com/more-lavender-blackwork
jane.dallaway.com/more-lavender-blackworkWP61: a woven seatpad<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/15772327577"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7562/15772327577_a5e7f43a49.jpg" alt="WP61" /></a></p>
<p>Having made my <a href="http://jane.dallaway.com/wp59-rothko-cushion">rothko inspired cushion</a> I had one more cushion idea up my sleeve. This time I wanted one to use as the seat cushion for the seat I made the <a href="http://jane.dallaway.com/chair-cushion-back">back cushion</a> for. Having had a few stretching and sewing issues with the rothko version I decided to just make a front and use normal fabric for the reverse.</p>
<p>I had some yellow and grey yarn left from the fabric I made for the <a href="http://jane.dallaway.com/weavng-project-32">glasses case</a> and decided to use that as it was a good colour match with the chair cushion back.</p>
<p>I wanted the finished item to be mostly grey with yellow highlights. And I wanted it to be similar size to <a href="http://jane.dallaway.com/wp47-a-cushion-cover">this cushion</a>. I decided to go for a Combined warp and weft floats pickup draft from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Weavers-Idea-Book-Creative-Rigid-Heddle/dp/1596681756">The Weavers Idea book</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/15932274476"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7573/15932274476_417ac77512.jpg" alt="WP61 cushion reverse" /></a></p>
<p>Once I’d finished weaving I went searching for suitable yellow and grey fabric and found some amazing stuff at <a href="http://www.brightonsewingcentre.co.uk/">my local sewing shop</a>. Which became the back. So very 1970s. Amazing. I love it.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/janed/15772326707"><img src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8674/15772326707_8b2fa7272e.jpg" alt="WP61" /></a></p>
<p>The assembly went pretty well. And I’m pleased with the end result. And I think it looks OK with the cushion back as well. Result! I’ve ran out of places that need cushions now. Or at least I thought I had until my niece and her husband came around and he decided that I could make them some. I’ll find out how serious he is over Christmas.</p>
Sat, 06 Dec 2014 10:24:00 +0000jane.dallaway.com/wp61
jane.dallaway.com/wp61